December 09, 2010

Differences Between B2C and B2B Data, An Introduction

Business-To-Consumer (B2C) and Business-To-Business (B2B) data require two different strategies to manage their data quality. There are many common elements, but on a practical level there are also many differences. Some organisations have only one type of data (that is B2B or B2C), and others have both. Confusion often arises when one database file or table is used to store both types of data (more on this in a future article).

In this article we outline some of the differences that exist. There will also be exceptions to the rule, but in general these are our experiences.

Differences

Type

Difference

Core Data

For B2C data the core information is title, name, address, contact details, gender, date-of-birth and other personal related information such as National Insurance number, Passport number, etc. You will also find geo demographic data (such as ACORN, CAMEO and MOSIAC, etc) and propensity data (such as income levels, housing attributes, family situation, etc).

With B2B data, the information is a contact and a company. The contact is title, name, job title, job role, contact details, etc. Company will be name, address, website, company contact details, etc. Additional company data such as turnover, employee counts, industry classification, type, parent company, out-of-business, etc can be added.

Quantity

There are many more consumers than businesses, hence B2C databases tend to have more records.

With B2B data contact records are always more than company records, as more than one contact is known within a company.

Referenceability

There are more reference files for B2C data than B2B data. Consumers' name and address details are held in the Electoral Register and enhanced by many commercial organisations such as Equifax and Experian.

B2C contact details can be verified by the Royal Mail for addresses (PAF file); and telephone numbers by BT and other leading telecom sources.

With B2B data, there is no way to find a reference file for all contacts at companies. There are limited lists, but generally one has to send contact detail validation emails or undertake a telemarketing exercise to verify details.

Companies can be validated for name, location, parent linkage and out-of-business indicator. Business suppression and forward addresses are also available.

There is no exhaustive data for emails in either B2B or B2C, but some vendors do have targeted email lists. Collecting emails and building lists is very much a separate topic that is becoming very important today.

Improving data quality, data intelligence and business intelligence require very different strategies depending on whether it's B2C or B2B data. The strategy will also depend on how detailed your sales and marketing processes are. For greater insight, the greater the data quality needs to be.

Need help?

If you would like further information on the differences between B2C and B2B data contact Acuate:

Comments

Differences Between B2C and B2B Data, An Introduction

Business-To-Consumer (B2C) and Business-To-Business (B2B) data require two different strategies to manage their data quality. There are many common elements, but on a practical level there are also many differences. Some organisations have only one type of data (that is B2B or B2C), and others have both. Confusion often arises when one database file or table is used to store both types of data (more on this in a future article).

In this article we outline some of the differences that exist. There will also be exceptions to the rule, but in general these are our experiences.

Differences

Type

Difference

Core Data

For B2C data the core information is title, name, address, contact details, gender, date-of-birth and other personal related information such as National Insurance number, Passport number, etc. You will also find geo demographic data (such as ACORN, CAMEO and MOSIAC, etc) and propensity data (such as income levels, housing attributes, family situation, etc).

With B2B data, the information is a contact and a company. The contact is title, name, job title, job role, contact details, etc. Company will be name, address, website, company contact details, etc. Additional company data such as turnover, employee counts, industry classification, type, parent company, out-of-business, etc can be added.

Quantity

There are many more consumers than businesses, hence B2C databases tend to have more records.

With B2B data contact records are always more than company records, as more than one contact is known within a company.

Referenceability

There are more reference files for B2C data than B2B data. Consumers' name and address details are held in the Electoral Register and enhanced by many commercial organisations such as Equifax and Experian.

B2C contact details can be verified by the Royal Mail for addresses (PAF file); and telephone numbers by BT and other leading telecom sources.

With B2B data, there is no way to find a reference file for all contacts at companies. There are limited lists, but generally one has to send contact detail validation emails or undertake a telemarketing exercise to verify details.

Companies can be validated for name, location, parent linkage and out-of-business indicator. Business suppression and forward addresses are also available.

There is no exhaustive data for emails in either B2B or B2C, but some vendors do have targeted email lists. Collecting emails and building lists is very much a separate topic that is becoming very important today.

Improving data quality, data intelligence and business intelligence require very different strategies depending on whether it's B2C or B2B data. The strategy will also depend on how detailed your sales and marketing processes are. For greater insight, the greater the data quality needs to be.

Need help?

If you would like further information on the differences between B2C and B2B data contact Acuate: